SWEET MEMORIES OF TATYA - Deepavali Day remembrance

[Guest guest]

SWEET MEMORIES OF TATYA

ON DEEPAVALI DAY BABA SUFFERED AN INJURY IN HIS HAND

Once Tatya came hurriedly to the mosque to seek Baba's permission to go by horse

cart to the weekly market at Kopergaon where he had some urgent work. "Baba, I

am going to Kopergaon," he blurted out hurriedly. Baba said, "Why are you in

such a hurry? Slow down a little. Let the market be. Do not leave Shirdi today

or go anywhere."

Tatya insisted that he had very urgent work at the market in Kopergaon and that

he would go. Seeing his unyielding insistence, Baba relented and said, "Go if

you wish but do take Shama along." Tatya, feeling that he did not require the

company of Shama for the short trip to Kopergaon, disregarded Baba's words, got

into the horse-cart and whipped the horses to a gallop. The cart passed Shirdi

and reached the vicinity of Savul Vihir village. Of the pair of horses, one was

new and unused to being yoked to the cart. It therefore galloped faster than its

companion and stumbled and fell. Tatya fell out of the cart but did not suffer

any major injuries due to the grace of Baba. In the same way, he once again

disregarded Baba's advice and had an accident while going to Kolhar village. In

this manner Baba had directly, as well as indirectly, looked after both the

worldly and the spiritual welfare of his Tatya.

Tatya says, "I used to fast on the holy days of ekadasi, the Mondays of the

month of Sravan, and on Shivaratri. However, Baba's opinion was that there was

no spiritual or material benefit whatsoever in fasting. He would make me eat

something or other on those holy days and make me break my vow of fasting. One

Shivratri day I said, ‘Baba please let me observe fast at least on this day.

Please do not make me eat anything today." Baba was relentless, "Eat" he

pressed. "What Shivratri are you talking about?" Dada Kelkar who was near also

told me to obey Baba and not argue with him. I did not object any more and

never fasted from that day onwards.

In the same manner, we have earlier seen how Baba discouraged Tatya from going

on a pilgrimage to Jujuri village one Mahashivratri day.

Having been very close to him, Tatya had the opportunity of seeing Baba in some

very rare spiritual moods. Tatya recalls one such instance as follows:

"Sometimes Baba was in a deep spiritual trance," said Tatya. "During these rare

occasions Baba would hold a tambura in his hands and dance in ecstasy,

forgetting himself and his body. The graceful, rhythmic movements of his feet,

hands and eyes would enrapture all those who witnessed his dance. He would sing

with an angelic voice and his song would charm all listeners.

Dancing thus, Baba used to gesticulate as if he were playing the flute and stand

with his feet crossed one in front of the other. For those fortunate devotees

who happened to see him in such a mood, it would appear as though they were

seeing Lord Krishna at Brindhavan, rather than Baba. All those who saw him in

that enthralled state were themselves enraptured by an unknown, other worldly

feeling and were transported with delight.

On the Deepavali day of 1910, Baba, sitting opposite the dhuni and adjusting the

firewood, suddenly put his hand into the fire. His hand was badly burnt. When

the devotees enquired as to why he had done this Baba replied that he did so in

order to save a child at some distant place who was about to fall into a furnace

from its mother’s lap. Tatya was in tears seeing the burnt hand of Baba. "Why do

you cry?" Baba remonstrated with Tatya gently. "We should not flinch even if

this body is kept in a red-hot furnace of two thousand dung cakes. That is the

hallmark of a true jnani.

Sans MS">

However, Tatya did not always taste the nectar of Baba’s love but occasionally

tasted his anger as well. In 1914, Kakasaheb Dixit was enlarging the forecourt

of the mosque as he felt that it was very congested for the huge press of

devotees. One night when Baba was sleeping in Chavadi, all the devotees got

together and after great labour dug holes in front of the mosque and placed

pillars in them. Baba returned to the mosque in the morning, and on seeing this

flew into a rage. In that anger he seized hold of Tatya's throat with one hand

and with the other started easily pulling out the pillars which even two or

three devotees had struggled to carry. He then pulled Tatya’s turban off and

setting fire to it flung it into one of the holes dug for the pillars. He then

took out a rupee coin and flung that into the hole too. Baba's eyes were like

balls of fire in the throes of that anger.

None dared approach that personification of rage and all stood a safe distance

away, too scared to even draw near. Baba did not loosen his grip on Tatya’s

neck. The strong Tatya – who normally could carry Baba on his shoulders and run

about with him – could not escape Baba's hold no matter how hard he tried.

Everyone was worried as to what may happen to Tatya. Bhagoji Shinde gathered up

his courage and tried to draw near Baba to extricate Tatya from his grip but

Baba shoved him away and threw stones at him. After a while Baba calmed down

and sent a devotee to the market for a new turban with golden thread for Tatya.

Baba wound the turban around Tatya's head himself as a mark of his approbation.

"Experiences of Tatya" in the Marathi magazine Sri Sai Leela Masik

 

The New with improved product search